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Nutrient Metabolism

Dietary S-Methylmethionine, a Component of Foods, Has Choline-Sparing Activity in Chickens¹

Departments of Animal Sciences and Food Science and Human Nutrition, and Division of Nutritional Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801

³To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: dhbaker{at}uiuc.edu.

Acid hydrolysis of dehulled soybean meal (SBM) and corn gluten meal (CGM) followed by chromatographic amino acid analysis (ninhydrin detection) revealed substantial quantities of S-methylmethionine (SMM) in both ingredients (1.65 g SMM/kg SBM; 0.5 g SMM/kg CGM). Young chicks were used to quantify the methionine- (Met) and choline-sparing bioactivity of crystalline L-SMM, relative to L-Met and choline chloride standards in 3 assays. A soy isolate basal diet was developed that could be made markedly deficient in Met, choline, or both. When singly deficient in choline or in both choline and Met, dietary SMM addition produced a significant (P < 0.01) growth response. In Assay 2, dietary SMM did not affect (P > 0.10) growth of chicks fed a Met-deficient, choline-adequate diet. A standard-curve growth assay revealed choline bioactivity values (wt:wt) of 14.2 ± 0.8 and 25.9 ± 5.1 g/100 g SMM based on weight gain and gain:food responses, respectively. A fourth assay, using standard-curve procedures, showed choline bioactivity values of 20.1 ± 1.1 and 22.9 ± 1.7 g/100 g SMM based on weight gain and gain:food responses, respectively. It is apparent that SMM in foods and feeds has methylation bioactivity, and this has implications for proper assessment of dietary Met and choline requirements as well as their bioavailability in foods and feeds.

KEY WORDS: • choline • methionine • S-methylmethionine • betaine • chick

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